Mental Institution
by Snow Lion
Summary: Yes,he was cold.Just isolated from the world.Staying with those on the brink of insanity.Yes,Syaoran Li stayed here with those of crazed minds...Here in the Mental Institution of Tokyo,Japan.Viewing Kinomoto Sakura,his most recent patient.The insane.
1. Chapter 1

Mental Institution  
  
Chapter One  
  
_*_*_*_*_*_*_  
  
Amber eyes scanned the file of his next patient. Firm hands flipped pages. Scratching of pens sounded throughout the small office room.  
  
Yes, he was cold. He was a cold person, but not necessarily cruel. Just cold. Just isolated from the world. Isolated from any social happenings located anywhere outside his sanctuary. And yet, not many social happenings happen inside his sanctuary. One reason to stay here. With those who didn't know. With those who had lost their minds. With those on the brink of insanity. Yes, Syaoran Li stayed here with those of crazed minds... Here in the Mental Institution of Tokyo, Japan. Sorting through the jumble of mess in the minds of people was his job. A hobby, somewhere where no one will care if he talked or not. Yes, it was his sanctuary...  
  
The weather felt the need to be opposite of what Syaoran Li was. It felt like it needed to be a shining hot summers day. It felt like it wanted to torture the earths inhabitants into puddles of sweat. It was too hot. He couldn't take it anymore. So standing from his lounging position, Syaoran exited his room to enter the cool, catastrophic atmosphere of the many corriders. Yes, of this Mental Institution.   
  
Maniacal laughs, hysterical sobs, and incoherent shouting came from all directions, penetrating the sound barriers of doors and walls.  
  
He set of at a slow pace to somewhere unknown to even himself. Maybe to the mess hall, or maybe the lavatory... Or maybe just outside. Yes, it sounded like a wonderful suggestion. The halls and cries of the insane were beginning to suffocate him. Yes, outside would be heaven.  
  
Walking through the swinging entrance doors, he followed a small path out to the park. Exactly like something one would dream of. The clean crisp air, the luscious green grass, the soft breeze... It was hard to find something like this in the busy streets of Tokyo. A difficult task.  
  
He sat down on a bench, secluded under a cirle of cherry blossom trees. Their scent was breathtaking. They weren't his favourite bunch of flowers, but they came second in his list, after his peonies. Yes... A cherry blossom floated away from its mother tree and came to land at his feet. He bent to pick it up, the soft petals grazing his fingers lightly.  
  
"May I have that?" He looked up, startled. A young woman, in a hospital gown. Carrying a basket of cherry blossoms.  
  
He nodded, and wordlessly gave her the flower. She plucked it cheerfully out of his hand and popped it in her basket.  
  
"Thankyou so much! Cherry Blossoms are my favourite flower. I'm named after them you see? I'm collecting them for everyone in the hospital!"  
  
She didn't look like someone mental. Just a carefree girl. Long auburn hair and emerald eyes. Yet, there was something wrong with her. After working with the insane for more than 4 years, he could see the problem. She looked happy, but her eyes were dark, a mirror to her soul. She was troubled.   
  
"So your named Sakura?"  
  
She nodded, flashing him a large smile.  
  
"Yes! Sakura was my mothers favourite flower. So I'm her little favourite flower..."  
  
Her eyes darkened even more. He could see that her mother was a painful subject for her.  
  
"What is your name?"  
  
He stood up and walked away, ending the conversation over his shoulder.  
  
"My breaks over, but my name? Its Syaoran Li."  
  
_*_*_*_*_*_*_  
  
Next chappy should be longer lol. Thanks for reading. 


	2. Chapter 2

Mental Institution  
  
Chapter Two  
  
_*_*_*_*_*_*_ He walked slowly through the dim lit hallways. The curtains had shielded the inside from view of the hot, blaring sun, leaving no gap for neither light nor wind to pass through. It was a dreary atmosphere. The cries of the mental were gone, silenced. Their body clocks were damaged in every possible way. Night or day was of no difference to them. It was all the same. They lived in a world of black and white, where everything was unreal.  
  
He stopped outside the door labelled 'Office 203'. Light flitted through the gap under the door. Curious really. When was the light ever on when he was gone from the room? Never, unless of course there was a visitor. And who would want to visit him? Cold, unfeeling, unresponsive. No use paying him a visit. He turned the knob and pushed the door open, allowing the unnatural light to pass into the hallways before thinning and disappearing behind the closing door.  
  
"Xiao Lang. You never did come to visit me these past 2 years. You never did give a phone call, or a letter. You worried me son. What could I do, but to come here and visit you?"  
  
He stared into her eyes, his gaze penetrating her barriers, forcing her to look away. She sat there, with her head turned, avoiding his stare. A woman, white skinned, black haired. Beautiful, yet... Aloof from most of the world? Yes.  
  
"Mother. You are well?" He nodded stiffly at her, then crossed the room to sit in his chair.  
  
"Of course."  
  
"And you are here because?" He didn't look twice at her, fetching a file from the drawer before viewing its contents.  
  
"Xiao Lang, have you not learnt manners? I would have thought that the elders, or myself had taught you better. Did our knowledge passed down to you seep back out like liquid through a hole?"  
  
He said nothing, only pointedly ignoring her.  
  
"Xiao Lang, you are of age. 23 is not young. You will need a wife soon. You will need to return to Hong Kong to take your position as head of the Li Clan. No exceptions will be made for you. The elders have had enough. You will have almost a year till you return home. Prepare yourself. Find a woman. You can not run any longer Xiao Lang. Life has caught up with you; you will not be able to escape its grasps any longer. Be reader. Further notice will be sent, as to when the exact date for your leaving will be."  
  
She stood up and kissed his cheek, before leaving the room, the door closing with a soft click.  
  
He wouldn't be able to escape this time. Not ever...  
  
_*_*_*_*_*_*_  
  
Syaoran wandered through the busy streets of Japan. Lunch was eaten, with 25 minutes to spare. He eyed the items through shop windows. Mostly filled with red, being the happy and joyous Valentines Day that it was.  
  
He passed a popular flower boutique. He would be meeting his next patient this afternoon. Valentines Day. Flowers. According to the world, flowers would brighten ones day. They could possibly give entrance into a crazed mind.  
  
He entered the brightly lit shop, with its beautiful fresh fragrance. Examining each and every flower, he crossed from aisle to aisle. Roses, carnations, lilies, peonies, cherry blossoms...  
  
He picked up one of each kind in the entire boutique. Flowers weren't exactly one of his strong areas. According to some humans, flowers had a meaning to them.  
  
He purchased the flowers, asking the shop assistant to wrap it up with cellophane and ribbon.  
  
And hopefully, it will be part of the key in opening the doors to her mind. 


	3. Chapter 3

Menta Institution Want to contact me? Email me at wandering_snow_lion@hotmail.com  
  
Chapter 3  
  
_*_*_*_*_*_*_ File in hand, he made his way through to room 312, weaving in and out between the crowd of nurses and patients travelling to the mess room. They greeted him good afternoon, and he nodded to them in return.  
  
He climbed the stairs in the sterile stairwell, making sure not to crush the flowers positioned between his body and his right arm. A difficult task, as the bouquet took up more space than was necessary. Though fortunately for the flowers, the crowds had eased up.  
  
He gave a soft knock once outside the door labelled 312, and entered the small room, painted white, with white tiles, white furniture, white machines... Even the air in the room smelt white... Clean...  
  
"Good afternoon..." He glanced at the window, and saw a thin figure clad in white hospital garments, staring over the grounds of the institution. She turned around and stared at him. "...Syaoran Li." Her voice was barely audible, even in the silence of the room.  
  
He nodded at her. "Good afternoon, Sakura." He crossed the room and took a seat on the couch.  
  
She smiled at him, glad that he had remembered her name from the last meeting. "So you're my doctor."  
  
He nodded at her again. "Here, for Valentines Day." He handed over the bouquet and leaned back in his seat, watching her intently as she inspected the flowers.  
  
"You bought more cherry blossoms than the other flowers put together." Her smile grew as she smelt them. "Thank you. They're beautiful. I don't remember ever receiving so many flowers in my life and in one bouquet too... Especially from someone I barely know." She grinned apologetically at him in her last sentence. "Sorry, but it's true. Excuse me for a minute."  
  
She set the flowers down and went into the bathroom.  
  
It was a good start, though he couldn't really see anything wrong with her, except for the indescribable sadness that lurked in the corners of her eyes. Who had sent her here?  
  
She came back with a jug of water, and cautiously poured its contents into a white plastic container. Carefully freeing the flowers from the red and pink cellophane and ribbon, she put the flowers in the container, and tied the ribbon around it.  
  
"Thank you for the bright colours too. I'm afraid that your colleagues do not know about the art of decoration." She set the container next to the window and sat on the window's edge.  
  
"I would like to start over. I'm sure you would need to know who I am, and I'm sure that I want to know who you are for the sake of my curiosity." She looked at him questioningly, and he nodded in return.  
  
"Hello, I am Sakura Kinomoto." She bowed her greeting as he did his when he replied, "Syaoran Li."  
  
"Well, I guess I'll go first."  
  
He nodded and settled back while she stared out the window.  
  
"Well, I'm 19, born on April the first. I originally lived in a family of four, but my mother died when I was only three. So then it was only my father, my brother and me. It was ok. We had each other, though it was sad to be reminded of mother when she had been gone for years. She married my father when she was only 16. He was her professor. She was a beautiful model, Nadeshiko was her name. As I've told you in our last meeting, cherry blossoms were her favourite flower. I was named after them.  
  
"I love the colours pink and white. Pink because it's a cheerful colour, lovely and soft, and because when some cherry blossoms bloom, they have the most vivid pink. Really beautiful. White because... it is innocent. Like an angels wings. It reminds me of my mother. Maybe she is an angel up in heaven. I think she watches over me. I think she has been watching me since she passed away. She has probably seen my failures in Maths, and my success in Physical Education, and she would've laughed. I love eating rice omelettes and noodles, and my best recipe is pancakes. I would cook pancakes for my dad and Touya, my brother, if I didn't wake up late every single morning.  
  
"My dad is an archaeologist and gives lectures at the University. He has the best cooking ever! Touya, I don't know what his occupation is. Hard to believe, I know, but he always has a different job every time I see him. I think he spies on me every time I go out. If I go a café, he would be working there. If it's a carnival, he'd be the guy walking around with balloons in a costume of some sort. Too overprotective. Though, now I think he has settled with a business company.  
  
"I had the greatest friends at school. Especially Tomoyo Daidouji. She was my cousin, and my best friend, and still is. We've been best friends since we were born. She supported me in anything I wanted to do if it was a good thing. She was a great designer. She designed costumes for me. It was embarrassing, but she put her mind and soul into making them. She was a best friend anyone could've wished for. Where is she now? She inherited her mother's toy company; Daidouji Inc. and works part time as a singer. You should hear her someday. She's still in Japan. She visits me often. If I truly haven't lost my mind, then I'd say she's been here everyday since I was sent to this institution. I'm guessing you would want to know why I was sent here in the first place...  
  
"Everyone believes I am insane, due to the death of my mother, even though I was only three then. They thought depression got to me in the end, and insanity was clouding through my brain. They had caught me holding a sword once. They thought it was a suicide attempt. They heard me talking to Tomoyo about magic, and wands, and cards. To them, I was going insane. I said my mother was an angel... They saw me talking to a stuffed animal. I'm not normal, am I? I don't know. I don't know why I was holding the sword... Or why I was talking about magic... Why was I talking to a stuffed animal? I don't know... I can't remember... They believe I'm insane Syaoran... They believe that... They sent me here... And I believe I'm insane too... I don't know why, but I just do. And I don't know how it came to be. Maybe it was depression. Maybe... And yet I know so much about my childhood, that I surely can't be insane... You can understand what I'm saying, and so can everyone else. I don't know what's wrong with me... I don't know..."  
  
Her eyes were filling up with tears and she started to whimper. She clutched onto the chair, her knuckles turning white. Her hair had become dishevelled, and something invisible was cutting through her pale skin, letting blood ooze to the ground.  
  
"Hey! What's happening? Are you alright?" Syaoran jumped out of his seat, ready to move towards her and inspect her mysterious wounds.  
  
"Stay away from me! You don't understand!" She pointed an accusing finger at him, sobbing hysterically and ignoring the cuts that kept appearing on her skin.  
  
"No one understands! How can I be insane? Am I insane? Why am I here?! Why doesn't anyone have my answers?!? WHY!?!" _*_*_*_*_*_*_ 


End file.
